The Older We Get, The Quicker We Lose It

Let’s face it, no matter how old we are, it seems to take a lot longer to get into shape than it takes to lose our fitness level. At the rate sarcopenia (natural muscle loss that occurs with aging) attacks our bodies, it’s no surprise that we find we have to work harder just to maintain our current fitness level. What was a three to six percent per decade average decrease in overall fitness levels for individuals in their twenties and thirties, becomes a twenty percent decrease in seventy year olds…

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Wayne Westcott speak on aging at several different fitness conferences, specifically, on the natural aging process and how our bodies start losing lean muscle mass at the rate of about a half pound per year at the ripe old age of thirty. That means that if we did absolutely nothing to counter this aging process, we’d lose ten pounds of muscle by the time we’re fifty.

But wait, it gets better! Once we hit our fifties, sixties, and beyond, the rate of the loss of lean muscle doubles to about a pound per year. Talk about a hit to our metabolism…

The great news is that through something as simple and natural as lifting weights, we can fight this aging process and rebuild that lost muscle. Dr. Westcott spoke of an interesting experiment he had conducted with twenty elderly and frail men and women in a nursing home. I remember the story well and have used it many times as an example for my own clients over the years. To make sure I didn’t misrepresent the study, a quick Google search lead me to an article in the Chicago Tribune where I was able to confirm my facts and fill in a couple of percentages I didn’t remember.

Dr. Westcott and his colleagues lead a group of senior citizens in a simple, well-controlled exercise program a couple of times per week over the period of fourteen weeks. During that time the seniors were instructed on the proper use of five different exercise machines. Strength comparisons from testing done before and after the fourteen-week period reveled that they had increased their lower body strength by 80% and their upper body strength by 40%. As a result of the fourteen-week program, some of the participants were able to move from wheelchairs to walkers, while others were able to throw their walkers away. They were able to become more self-reliant with their increased strength and generally had a better outlook on life!

The first time I remember lifting weights was in the weight room in the basement of War Memorial Gym at Virginia Tech. When the main coed weight room was too crowded, I’d go into the women’s weight room located just off the women’s locker room. Since men couldn’t access the room, it was grossly underused; and sadly, I was often the only person in there.

After graduating from college I didn’t have access to a weight room again until I joined a women’s only gym in Denver called Mademoiselle Spa. When we moved back to Virginia in 1984, I transferred my gym membership to a local gym and have continued to lift weights regularly ever since, including up until the day before both of my sons were born. My current strength training routine includes lifting three days per week for about an hour. I’ve gotta admit that I’m pretty proud of my almost sixty-year-old shoulders and arms!

I’m one of the lucky ones who learned to love strength training and and realized it’s benefits when I was young. If you’re not participating in a strength training program already, it would be a great idea to add it in to help fight off sarcopenia.

Some of the benefits of strength training as we get older include:

Rebuilding of muscle that is loss through sarcopeni

Increasing general strength

Improving balance and reducing the risk of falling which can result in injury

Increasing metabolism as muscle mass is increased which results in calories being burned more efficiently which in turn helps manage body weight

Improving bone density and strength

Keeping some diseases at bay and making others more tolerable

Increasing energy levels

Improving flexibility

Making self-reliance possible

Improving mood by releasing happy endorphins

I guess you can say that I’m fighting sarcopenia, building one pound of muscle at a time!

Questions:

Do you lift weights?

If so, when did you begin lifting?

Do you enjoy exercise?

Happy Running!
~ Deb

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

10 Comments

1 Ping/Trackback

I like strength training and do it once a week, but I want to increase to two or three times. I started about ten years ago, in my mid-thirties. It just makes me feel strong and fit, and the toned arms aren’t bad either!

I have recently realized that things seem to be getting harder. I keep working harder and not seeing the same results I used to. Rather discouraging at times. I do love strength training and I agree that it definitely helps to a point.

I wasn’t much into “weights” until I did a couple rounds of P90X (6-7 years ago). Although my weight stayed about the same, I noticed my waist and hips got smaller, and my arms had definition! Since then, I do arm work (almost weekly) and occasional leg work. I’m not doing any specific “program” or plan, but I do try to incorporate strength work weekly to maintain my muscle tone. As I’ve said…”skinny arms are so yesterday” 😉

We have P90X2 and we really enjoyed doing it for several months a few years ago. It was nice to change up my workouts and work some new exercises into my routine. Isn’t it cool how you can stay the same weight, but lose inches as you lose body fat while gaining muscle. Here’s an interesting and related story: Years ago I had a client who complained to our fitness director that she wasn’t losing weight. He asked her what dress size she was when she started training with me and she told him a size 12. He then asked what size she was currently wearing and she told him a size 8, so he asked her what was the problem. She then said again, “I want to lose weight!”

I started going to gymnasium two months ago.
Initially, i did it just to make company to my wife – we go together; same room, same time, different teachers and different programmes. She had a cirurgy to her shoulder and the gymnasium exercises are part of her recovery.

About me… I thought i didn’t need to go to gymnasium because i run every week a minimum of ten kilometres per run ( in fact, the last four runs, three were part of the training for a half marathon and the last one was the official run, last Sunday.

But the opinion of my gymnastic teacher and articles/posts like these, convinced me that the habit to go to the gymnasium ( we do it twice a week ) is something to keep for the future and not only as a temporary therapy.

My wife is very happy with the improvement she experiments in her overall shape and i am now convinced that strength exercises are a very good complement to the running activity.

And going together is very good for us because, if one of us is not in the mood (stressed or tired with work / raining heavily / many things to do at home, etc… ) the other one gives the will for both of us to go. This was a very good decision we had as a couple – going and being always together.

So, i decided to do this post to thank Debruns for her posts/articles, that i discover in G+ and read her posts for several months, and to present my suggestion to couples: Try to go to gymnasium, run, etc… together and support each other. It is very rewarding for both.
It’s a very simple and obvious advice but, as years past over a marriage/relation ship, we, humans, tend to forget simple and obvious habits.

Thank you so much, Manuel, for your comment! I love hearing that my articles inspire my readers. You make such an excellent point about how since you and your wife workout together, you hold each other accountable. I think you will both be very happy now and in the future that strength training has become part of your fitness routine. All the best to you both!

Great article! I love lifting weights. I started in my early twenties. I joined a women’s only gym-Victory Lady!
Now I typically strength train 3 days per week but when training for a race, I do 2 days. It’s so important to keep our bodies strong to fight the aging process!

I’m Debbie (or Deb), a lover of family, life, and all things running; and I aspire to share my love of fitness through Deb Runs. As a personal trainer and running coach, I enjoy helping others adopt a healthy lifestyle to improve the quality of their lives.

Archives

Archives

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Simply put, this blog contains Amazon affiliate links, meaning that I will earn a commission anytime you purchase items by clicking on these links. You will never pay any more when buying a product from Amazon through my link, and you will be connected to Amazon as you usually are. The only difference is that Amazon pays me for referring you!